Is it possible to keep hyacinth in the house?

From the first days of March, not only in flower shops, but also in large supermarkets you can see pots of hyacinths, ready to please us with the wonderful aroma of beautiful flowers. But hyacinths are grown in pots not only for forcing in the cold season. Experienced gardeners plant valuable varieties of this plant in pots and grow them on open verandas and patios.

Useful information about hyacinth in a pot

family	Asparagus
Life time	perennials
soil	Fertile loamy and sandy loam with a neutral reaction
Temperature	Cold-resistant
World	photophilous
Watering	Systematic and moderate
Reproduction	Children dividing an onion
Planting in pots	In November, December, January, February (2)

Hyacinth (Hyacinthus) is a perennial bulbous plant in which linear-shaped leaves and a peduncle grow from a basal rosette. Their basis is a scaly bulb, in which old scales gradually die off and new ones grow. Babies appear along the periphery of the bottom, thanks to which the hyacinth multiplies. The hyacinth inflorescence is a cluster of 12–35 simple or double flowers, bell-shaped with curved petals. Petals can be white, blue, pink, red, lilac and even yellow. In nature, hyacinth goes through three stages of development: 3 months of spring vegetation, 3 months of summer and 6 months of dormancy. Growing hyacinth in pots allows you to change the growing season.

Rules for planting hyacinth in a pot

When calculating the time of planting hyacinth in a pot, it should be taken into account that it may not bloom at all or may quickly fade if there is not enough light and watering during the extension of the peduncle, and the temperature exceeds 16 ° C. To grow hyacinths in pots, planting material is either purchased or selected from among the bulbs that were grown in the garden. The bulb must have a diameter of at least 5 cm, with a hard, smooth surface and a healthy, flat bottom. Before planting, the bulbs are pickled. To plant hyacinth, use pots 15–20 cm high and 4–5 cm in diameter larger than the diameter of the bulb or group of bulbs. There should be drainage holes in the bottom of the pot and 2 cm of expanded clay at the bottom. The optimal soil option is a soil mixture of equal parts of leaf and turf soil, peat, humus and sand. The mixture must be pickled. The bulbs are planted 2/3 deep. Then add 2 cm of calcined sand. To maintain moisture, the soil is mulched with cut sphagnum moss. After planting, put a paper cap on the pot and place it in a dark place with a temperature of 10–16 °C for 5–7 weeks. During this time, the soil is regularly moistened. As soon as sprouts appear under the hood, the pot is brought out into the light, gradually increasing the temperature: 3 days – 10 – 12 °C, then – up to 20 °C. After 2 – 3 weeks, the hyacinth will bloom (2).

Caring for hyacinth in a pot at home after purchasing it in a store

Experienced flower growers know the rule: buy a houseplant and replant it in fresh soil. But it does not apply to hyacinth in a pot. It cannot be transplanted. Otherwise, the plant will not be able to bloom or keep the flower for a long time due to the stress that replanting causes. After purchasing, place the pot of hyacinth in a bright place. Depending on when you purchased the plant, you will need to adjust the level of illumination: in February additional lighting is required, and at the end of April shading from direct sunlight is required. The optimal temperature is 15 – 20 °C. Hyacinth loves fresh air, but can suffer from drafts even in April, because it was grown in greenhouse conditions. While growing the purchased hyacinth in the house, a mineral complex fertilizer for flowering plants should be added to the water for irrigation every 2 weeks.

Watering

It is important to water hyacinth in a pot correctly – settled soft water at room temperature should be carefully poured into the pot as the soil dries, without touching the bulb, or into the tray. Stagnant water can cause the bulb to rot: always drain excess water from the pan.

Lands

If you purchased hyacinth in a pot, then there is no problem with the soil. But to plant hyacinth on your own for forcing, you need to follow the proportions and be sure to disinfect the soil. The best way is steaming. But in any case, a week before planting, it is advisable to spill the soil with a warm solution of a fungicide, for example, use Fitosporin. Continue further

Caring for hyacinth in a pot after flowering

After flowering has finished, it is important to prevent seed setting. To do this, you need to remove the upper part of the peduncle. If we want to save the bulb for subsequent forcing, we need to take a new pot with a diameter and height 3–4 cm larger than the old one, add expanded clay and soil to the bottom and replant the hyacinth using the transshipment method. The planting depth should remain the same, the soil surface should be mulched with coarse sand. The pot needs to be placed in a cool place, and after a while the leaves of the hyacinth will dry out – it will retire. After replanting, water the plant sparingly, avoiding the soil from drying out. 7 days after transshipment, and then again after 10 days, it is necessary to fertilize with liquid complex fertilizer of the Ideal type. Continue further As soon as the leaves turn completely yellow and begin to dry out, watering should be stopped. After a week, cut off the remaining leaves, remove the bulb from the pot, and clean off the roots and loose scales. Don’t separate the kids! Then the bulbs need to be washed with clean water, pickled in a solution of potassium permanganate or the drug Maxim, and dried in a cool, dark place with good ventilation for 1 week. After this, place the bulbs in a paper bag or cardboard box and store for 2 months at a temperature of 25 ° C in a ventilated area. After drying, the package with hyacinths should be removed to a cooler place and stored at a temperature of 17 ° C until planting. In such conditions, the bulbs are stored until October. After which they are either planted in a flower garden or planted in a pot for subsequent forcing (1).

Transplanting hyacinth in a pot into open ground

If weather conditions permit, hyacinth from a pot can be planted in open ground. As a rule, in the middle zone it is better to do this in May. By this time, the hyacinth has already finished flowering, the peduncle has been cut off and the leaves have dried out. The planting site should be dry and high enough so that water does not stagnate there. The soil is well drained and fertile. To increase fertility, you can apply organomineral fertilizer, but applying humus is not recommended. Note The hole for the bulb should be equal to 4 times the height of the bulb. Coarse sand should be poured onto the bottom, carefully remove the bulb from the pot without destroying the earthen ball, place it in a hole and cover it with soil. In this case, the root collar not only needs to be filled up – there should be a layer of soil above it 3 times the height of the bulb. After planting, the bulbs need to be watered generously. If there are cold nights or frosts are possible, the planting area should be mulched with dry leaves or spruce branches.

Popular questions and answers

Answered questions from summer residents about growing hyacinth in pots florist Olga Kravtsova

How to water hyacinth in a pot?

When watering, it is important that water does not get on the bulb. Therefore, it is better to use watering in a tray or immerse the pot in a container of water for 20 – 30 minutes.

What kind of pot is needed for hyacinth?

For hyacinth you need a pot at least 15 cm high. The diameter of the pot should be 3 – 4 cm wider than the bulb or group of bulbs that you plan to plant in the pot.

How long does hyacinth bloom in a pot?

If favorable conditions are created, hyacinth will bloom for 30 days. But this is ideal; in practice, flowering lasts about 3 weeks. Special forcing varieties grow and bloom most successfully at home – they are distinguished by long-lasting flowering and a thick, durable peduncle.

How to preserve a hyacinth bulb before planting?

After flowering ends, the aboveground part dies off quite quickly. All we have to do is cut off most of the peduncle and wait for the leaves to turn yellow. And then there are 2 ways: plant the bulb in open ground, carefully so as not to damage the root system, or send it for storage. Bulbs prepared for storage are regularly inspected, damaged areas are lubricated with brilliant green.

Is it possible to grow hyacinth in a pot outside?

1. Matantsev A., Matantseva S. Hyacinths: different colors and varieties, planting and care // Moscow, Publishing Solutions, 2020
2. Vorobyovskaya E.M., Korshikova N.G. Technology of forcing oriental hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis hybridum hort.) at Kalinkovo ​​LLC // Bulletin of Youth Science, 2018
   https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/tehnologiya-vygonki-giatsinta-vostochnogo-hyacinthus-orientalis-hybridum-hort-v-ooo-kalinkovo

It is impossible to resist at the beginning of spring and not buy hyacinth in a pot for yourself or as a gift. The first herald of spring attracts with its fragile beauty and delicate aroma.

Hyacinth is a bulbous perennial plant; it blooms in the spring, and then the bulb goes dormant until the next season. This process is completely natural; at home you can slightly change the natural course of things. By creating favorable conditions, you can get flowers whenever you want. Forced home flowering is called forcing. You can get beautiful buds by the end of December, mid-winter or early spring.

But if in open ground hyacinth is a perennial and blooms every year, then in a pot the bulb will not bloom again; it will need to be planted outside.

Home care rules

So, a pot of hyacinth is in your home, what to do next? First of all, pay attention to whether the flower has enough soil. Often hyacinths are planted in very small containers, and the flower develops by watering with various chemicals. In this case, the plant should be transplanted into a larger container, where it will have enough soil to grow. If the pot is large enough, then it is better not to disturb the plant.

To maintain a beautiful appearance, hyacinth requires a warm and bright place. You should not place it near batteries; room temperature is optimal for comfortable development. It should be understood that under natural conditions hyacinth blooms in early spring, when the weather outside is warm, but not hot. Heat negatively affects the flower. The higher the room temperature, the shorter the flowering period will be.

If you purchased a plant with a bud just forming, you should add light to it at night.

Monitor the soil moisture; it should not dry out. You need to water little by little, but constantly. In this case, water should be poured at the root, avoiding contact with the bulb or leaves. You can water carefully along the edge of the pot, but there is a more suitable method for hyacinth – bottom watering. The pot with the plant is immersed in a deep container for half an hour. During this time, the soil has time to absorb the required amount of moisture. You should not take water from the tap. It must either be boiled and cooled, or left for two days.

To form a straight trunk, the flower must be periodically turned with different sides towards the light.

If you want to prolong flowering and make it more lush, apply nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer. The first time it should be applied at the moment of bud formation, and the second time at the initial stage of flowering.

Care after flowering

Care after flowering is determined by whether you plan to use the bulb in the future. If you are not going to plant hyacinth outside, you can simply throw it away. If your plans include further growing a flower in a flowerbed, you should do the following:

• cut the flower after flowering;
• Water until all the foliage has completely withered. During this period, the bulb may grow and babies may appear on it;
• remove the bulb from the ground, clean it from dry leaves, separate the children;
• plant the bulb in the ground.

It is very important not to rush to cut the peduncle; you must wait until it dries, otherwise the bulb will not complete the ripening stage, and it will not be able to produce flowers the next year.

If you purchased hyacinth in a pot in early spring, then the moment of complete wilting will occur in April. At this point, it is too early to plant the bulbs in the ground. Therefore, it is worth providing them with a state of rest at home. To do this, the peeled bulbs are peeled and stored in a cool place. A cellar is perfect, and in the absence of one, a refrigerator.

Hyacinth is a very beautiful and delicate primrose. It is unpretentious in care, and while maintaining natural conditions, it pleases with long and lush flowering. Caring for hyacinth in a pot is not difficult, and if you wish, you can get a beautiful flowering plant in your garden. Therefore, if you bought hyacinth in a pot in the spring, do not rush to throw it away after flowering.